The Alberta government has discreetly reintroduced grizzly bear hunting, published in the June 29 edition of the Alberta Gazette without public consultation or legislative review by Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen, drawing significant criticism. Despite grizzly bears being classified as Threatened under the Wildlife Act since 2010, this decision has ignited widespread condemnation and Exposed stands for the immediate reversal.
Grizzly bears possess one of the slowest reproductive rates among all North American land mammals, one death makes a huge impact on the longevity of this species. They face various fatal threats such as collisions with vehicles and trains on roadways, the way Nakoda and her cubs perished within the past month, and now must also contend with the additional threat of trophy hunting.
Under this new regulation, the provincial forestry and parks ministry has the power to grant grizzly bear management authorizations for hunting if wildlife officers determine a bear is involved in human-bear conflicts or poses a concern in a specific area.
Exposed’s Co-founder John E. Marriott shares his thoughts on the alarming news, via Alberta Wilderness Association:
“Why weren’t grizzly bear researchers involved in this decision? The science on grizzly bears very clearly does not show a beneficial link between hunting and conflict resolution, so why are we risking grizzly bear recovery for a few hunters to have trophy rugs on their walls?”
Grizzly bear numbers remain below International Union for Conservation of Nature thresholds. Concerns over ambiguous terms like "areas of concern", and “problem bears'', have further fueled conservationist concerns, urging transparent governance and evidence-based wildlife management to ensure sustainable conservation practices and protect the vital ecological role of grizzly bears in Alberta's ecosystem amidst mounting environmental challenges.
Alberta’s decision to allow grizzly bears to be hunted again despite being a threatened species under the Wildlife Act is unacceptable and must be reversed immediately. The Wildlife Regulation was altered without public consultation or legislative review by Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen and published on June 29 in the Alberta Gazette. The grizzly bear hunt was suspended in 2006 after the grizzly population in Alberta dwindled to fewer than 700 bears on provincial lands in 2004. Grizzly populations have since been recovering, but human-caused mortality remains the leading cause of grizzly bear death. In 2021, Alberta Environment and Parks stated that the province had between 856 and 973 grizzly bears.
The changes to the Wildlife Regulation that enable the grizzly bear hunt, published in the Gazette, state that grizzly bears that are “involved in a human-bear conflict situation” or “in an area of concern” may be authorized to be hunted.
Human-wildlife conflict is a challenge that must be addressed by the appropriate wildlife officials. If a bear threatens human safety, appropriate actions must be taken by professionals, not trophy hunters. Although there are cases where bears may have to be euthanized, this should be a last resort that is only used when a bear poses an imminent safety risk.
Many cases of bear habituation to human food are caused by the actions or negligence of people, resulting in bears being killed. This new policy incentivizes people interested in hunting grizzlies to allow bears to become habituated, creating a hunting “opportunity.” Human-wildlife conflict can be tragic for both bears and people, and should not be viewed as an opportunity for trophy hunting.
Additionally, it is unclear what defines “an area of concern,” and therefore that term could apply to anywhere bears and people overlap. The presence of people and human footprint in bear habitat has only increased over the decades. People and bears share this province and we must allow them space to live and thrive on the landscape.
The province’s only human-wildlife conflict specialist retired in 2022 and was not replaced. This role focused on preventing conflicts between people and bears. Rather than enacting a controversial grizzly hunt, Alberta should hire regional large carnivore conflict biologists, which is called for in the 2020 Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan.
“Hunting is not an acceptable management approach for a threatened species,” says Devon Earl, AWA conservation specialist. “Grizzly bears have a very slow reproductive rate, and trophy hunting could undo all the recovery of the last decade.”
John Marriott, co-founder of the Exposed Wildlife Conservancy adds, “This seems like a short-sighted decision intended to appease Minister Loewen’s ties to the Guide-Outfitting and Trophy Hunting industries and lacks any public integrity. Why wasn’t the public consulted on this? Why weren’t grizzly bear researchers involved in this decision? The science on grizzly bears very clearly does not show a beneficial link between hunting and conflict resolution, so why are we risking grizzly bear recovery for a few hunters to have trophy rugs on their walls?”
Raising awareness and understanding of this decision is paramount at this critical time. We welcome media inquiries and are prepared to offer information or interviews on this matter.
Email | media@exposedwc.org
